Beginning in February, two Astellas Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) started a three-month long volunteer project to help restore the neglected El Rescate facility – a transitional home for homeless LGBTQ youth in the Humboldt Park area of mid-town Chicago. El Rescate, which translates to "The Rescue," provides culturally appropriate, identity-confirming housing for LGBTQ youth facing housing instability, homelessness and/or an HIV-positive diagnosis. The organization offers prevention and support services in two ways: The Basic Center provides services to LGBTQ youth ages 12 to 17, including medical care and an emergency shelter, and the Transitional Living Program supports LGBTQ youth ages 18 to 24 with housing for up to two years.

In addition to repairing and painting El Rescate, in recogntion of PRIDE Month, Astellas’ Together As One (TAO) ERG hosted a household item collection benefitting the organization. Employees in the Northbrook Headquarters were encouraged to bring in needed items to help make the lives of those living at El Rescate a little better.

Astellas’ work began when TAO ERG Co-Chair, Tim McElderry, visited El Rescate earlier this year to patch holes throughout the four story building. “El Rescate does such great work for its residents, providing shelter and education to LGBTQ youth that have nowhere to turn. Unfortunately, the facility was in bad shape and needed work,” said McElderry. “Making El Rescate look better by patching some holes and painting the walls was the least we could do. And, if the refurbished interior provides a little lift to the residents in terms of their self-esteem, that makes our contribution even more rewarding.”

Following the wall repairs, three crews of 20 painters from Astellas, including members from TAO and Astellas’ Hispanic ERG, worked on painting the residents’ floors and living quarters, totaling three floors, 11 bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“Spending a day volunteering with my team and other Astellas colleagues at El Rescate reconditioning their facilities was very gratifying,” said Rodrigo Fernandez, volunteer and Executive Director of International Business. “We came out highly motivated, as we could see the change brought to these kids by painting their home, the only place they can recognize as such. It was definitely a great demonstration of changing the lives of others through the Astellas Way.”  

The end product? El Rescate residents’ living quarters were transformed from a state of disrepair to a more welcoming and comfortable space they can now call home.

“I can’t begin to thank Astellas for their hard work making our facility look so much better,” said M Echeverria, Program Coordinator at El Rescate. “Many of our residents have never had a beautiful home to live in, but now they do! And, if our new and improved facility increases our resident’s self-esteem just a little, it is a big win for El Rescate and Astellas.”

Due to Tim’s passionate support and dedication to El Rescate and its residents, he was one of five Astellas employees to receive the Ivan Martinez Community Support award at the National Sales Forum in June. Congratulations, Tim and thank you for your ongoing dedication to the community.

Astellas knows how important it is to support employees with shared interests, backgrounds and goals, which is why it established seven Employee Resource Groups. The ERGs not only embody Astellas’ commitment to diversity and inclusion, but also to offer volunteer opportunities like El Rescate where ERG members can give back to the organizations and issues they are most passionate about.

About CSR at Astellas
Living SMART® is the Astellas approach to preparing communities today for what can happen tomorrow. The Living SMART® framework brings together the strength of the charitable Astellas USA Foundation and our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work to find the areas where we can make the most impact to improve lives. Astellas USA Foundation and Astellas CSR collaborate to create a positive impact on society through three overarching focus areas: health and well-being; Science WoRx® (STEM education); and disaster response. To read more about Living SMART®, see the Astellas Americas Corporate Social Responsibility Report Card.